Barwic Parade Community Primary School, Selby

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Barwic Parade is a caring, welcoming school where pupils feel happy and safe. Leaders know their community well.

Serving this community is at the heart of everything they do. Each member of this school family is supported and valued for who they are.

Leaders have created an inclusive, nurturing environment which meets the pastoral needs of their pupils well.

They have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. There is a detailed behaviour policy in place and pupils understand this well. There are a small minority of pupils who occasionally make poor choices.

However, leaders have put clear strategies in place to support these pupils. Bullying and poor ...behaviour are not tolerated. Pupils have positive relationships with staff.

They trust that adults will sort out any worries or problems they may have.

Pupils are able to access and enjoy a range of rich experiences. These have been carefully designed to help pupils become responsible and respectful citizens in the future.

Pupils are able to explain the importance of being physically and mentally healthy. They understand what a healthy relationship looks like. They can talk about the importance of protected characteristics such as race, religion and belief.

Opportunities within the school's curriculum provide pupils with memorable learning experiences. The links made between the school's approach to early reading and learning vocabulary in Spanish lessons supports pupils to remember their learning. However, some subjects are not as precisely planned.

In these subjects, pupils are less able to talk about what they know and remember.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have been tenacious in bringing about improvements in many areas of the school. The curriculum for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is well planned.

It specifies what pupils need to learn and when. Pupils respect views that are different from their own. They understand discrimination and can explain the importance of challenging this.

When talking about how they support families who are new to their school community, one pupil summed this up explaining, 'We are like a family in our school. When someone new joins our school, we need to be at least as good as their friends were at their old school.'

Leaders have also successfully focused on improving the English and mathematics curriculum.

Mathematics and language development begin as soon as children step into the early years. In other subjects, curriculum thinking is less refined. Leaders have not identified the essential knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which this needs to be taught.

In these subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

Early reading is a school-wide priority. Carefully considered reading routines begin with children in the early years.

These are delivered with a consistent approach in all classes. This systematic approach supports pupils well as they learn to read. All pupils take an active part in their whole-class phonics sessions.

Staff are skilled at helping pupils to segment words and blend sounds with confidence. However, some books that older pupils are given to read do not match the sounds they already know. This makes learning to read difficult for these pupils.

Children in the early years learn well. In the nursery classroom, adults have high ambition for the children in their care. Children show deep concentration when taking part in different activities.

They sustain high levels of attention over a period of time. Across Nursery and Reception classes, the purposeful modelling of language provides children with many opportunities to develop their communication and language. The carefully planned environment ensures children develop positive attitudes.

They play and learn together, showing cooperation and confidence.

Staff have positive relationships with pupils. There are clear routines and pupils follow these carefully.

Lessons are calm and pupils are keen to learn and do well. There is strong leadership for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders and staff have a detailed knowledge of the needs of pupils with SEND and ensure that the support they receive is appropriate.

School leaders are passionate about seeking a wide range of opportunities for pupils. They provide experiences that pupils may not ordinarily have in their lives. For example, pupils work with local businesses to develop their understanding of the local area.

They also undertake activities such as flamenco dancing and pottery painting through the school's 'globe trotters' approach. Through this initiative, pupils learn about different people, cultures and religions.

Governors understand their role well.

They are an integral part of the school's structure. They understand the responsibilities that are devolved to them. Governors and school leaders understand the importance of building cultural capital for their pupils.

However, they have not assured themselves that the wider curriculum provides pupils with the learning offer they need to achieve this. Staff feel well supported and say that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have developed thorough and robust safeguarding processes. They provide regular training for the whole staff team to ensure these are followed with precision. Leaders are proactive in their approach.

They are tenacious in following through all incidents in order to safeguard their children. Adults in school know the families and their wider school community well. They receive weekly training that informs them of both national and local risks to their community.

Governors also access this comprehensive training offer.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The books that some older pupils are given to practise reading are too challenging. They do not match the sounds that pupils know.

This is preventing pupils from learning to read with fluency. Teachers must ensure that the books pupils use to practise their reading are carefully matched with the phonics sounds they know. ? Some subjects within the wider curriculum are not planned well enough.

Pupils cannot remember or talk about what they have been learning in these subjects. They struggle to recall important information. Leaders must refine their curriculum thinking so that every subject clearly sets out the precise detail of what pupils need to know and in what order.